Category Archives: home sales

Even some veteran renters are looking at today’s housing market and wondering whether it’s time to start an Eastern Monmouth County home search. With prices and mortgage rates as low as they are while rents continue to move higher, the numbers point to home ownership as an ever more obvious choice.

But that’s just the quick, back-of the envelope budget equation: monthly rent vs. mortgage payment less tax savings. If this Summer finds you at the start of your own Jersey Shore home search, many financial advisors recommend that you also consider another rule of thumb – you should plan to stay in your new home for at least five years.Continue reading →

Every homeowner can have all sorts of reasons for selling their house. Those in the boomer generation can be in one of the traditional phases of retirement (planning, transitioning, initiating) or perhaps in one of the newly-popular phases (postponing, rejecting).
For them and everyone else, the decision about whether to sell the house falls into one of two categories: those triggered by economic pressures — or all the other reasons. In all cases, being in control of the timing of your house sale will put you in control of the process. That pays off. Continue reading →

Last week’s report indicated that the 5.9% increase was more than three times greater than economists expected. According to the National Association of Realtors in Washington, the index of pending home resales climbed 5.9% to 101.1. This matches the two-year high reached in March. Continue reading →

In today’s super-competitive housing market, it’s good to stand out from the crowd. Whether you add your property to the local home listings next week or plan to do so in the future, a pool will boost its overall value. My summer buyers’ ears always perk up when I mention the next home listing we will visit has a pool. Continue reading →

According to the National Association of Realtors®, first quarter statistics again point to better home sales figures. This time it was the prices of single family homes that rose in half of the major cities in the United States. Because of the wide differences between regional and state conditions, these figures are never in 100% lockstep, but Eastern Monmouth homeowners should be encouraged by the report’s breadth: prices rose in more than twice as many cities as fell. Continue reading →

Figuring out your home’s value when the market is in flux is truly a job for experts. We have seen the national real estate market begin to rebound, and expect shore area home values to soon start to reflect movement as well. Most local homeowners are in the habit of keeping an eye on area home values. But especially for anyone considering buying or selling this spring or summer, estimating their home’s value is one of the first items on the agenda. Continue reading →

Opportunities in the housing market continue to grow for buyers and sellers. Home affordability, driven mostly by record low interest rates, is among the lowest it has ever been. According to the National Association of Realtors, and based on national averages, the payments on a home today represent 12.8% of the median household income. This is both a good sign for those looking to purchase a home, and for the economy overall as consumers are keeping more money in their pockets.

If you’re a seller, the housing market shows signs of transitioning from a buyers’ market to a more balanced one. This means that home owners should start to see prices stabilize and begin to grow, presenting more favorable opportunities for those looking to sell their homes. In regards to the number of homes on the market, a key indicator of the health of the housing market, Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said, “The broad inventory condition can be described as moving into a rough balance, not favoring buyers or sellers.”

With continuing job creation, the improving housing sector, and signs that the banks are beginning to lend more, 2012 looks to offer promising opportunities to both those looking to buy or sell a home.Continue reading →